Was Bengals' Jessie Bates drafted by the wrong team?

The Cincinnati Bengals hope second-round pick Jessie Bates can help the team create more turnovers right away in 2018.

Bates did plenty of that in college while showing good range as a free safety prospect, though with the Bengals he’s spent some time flashing as a returner on special teams.

Over at Bleacher Report, Bates is listed as a guy who got drafted by the wrong team because of the names in front of him on the depth chart:

“Bates must climb a steep hill to see extensive time on the field with Shawn Williams and George Iloka in the starting spots. Last year, cornerback Darqueze Dennard and safety Josh Shaw played the most snaps in the slot.”

Luckily for Bates, the way the NFL keeps trending might mean more playing time than expected as a rookie.

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The Bengals defense hasn’t been the same since Nelson left, so new coordinator Teryl Austin might look to get him involved a lot right away.

While Darqueze Dennard will hold down the slot in a contract year coming out of a breakout season, the Bengals might choose to run more dime than ever so a prospect like Bates can patrol the back end of the defense. Doing so would allow guys like George Iloka and Shawn Williams to play closer to the line of scrimmage, where they’re more likely to excel anyway.

It usually takes three to five years before we know if a team made mistakes in a draft. For the Bengals to avoid this with Bates, it’s going to take them finding a way to put his talents to use on the field rather than sitting back and letting veterans play over him.